Magic Johnson believes the Philadelphia 76ers have become the biggest threat to the defending NBA champion New York Knicks after adding LeBron James to a roster that already features Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
“After trading for one of the best two way players in the league and NBA All Star Jaylen Brown, the Sixers then signed the biggest free agent on the market this summer, 4x NBA champion and future Hall of Famer LeBron James,” Johnson wrote on X on Sunday. “LeBron makes the Sixers one of the best teams in the NBA and the biggest threat to the World Champion Knicks in the Eastern Conference.”
Philadelphia made one of the biggest roster transformations in the NBA offseason. The Sixers acquired Brown from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks before adding James in free agency, creating a four-star foundation around their existing core.
Johnson highlighted the potential starting lineup of James, Brown, Embiid and Maxey, noting that Philadelphia could feature four All-Stars. Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 70 games during the 2025-26 season while earning All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors.
Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 38 games, continuing to provide elite production when healthy. Brown averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 37 games with Boston, while James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games for the Los Angeles Lakers before departing after eight seasons.
The challenge for Philadelphia will be fitting multiple elite creators into one offensive system.
“Philly’s starting lineup will have four All Stars, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, and offensively they will be great,” Johnson wrote. “But all four are used to having the ball in their hands, so I’m interested to see what type of offense Coach Nurse draws up.”
Head coach Nick Nurse will have to balance the playmaking responsibilities of James and Maxey with Embiid’s post presence and Brown’s scoring ability. The 76ers’ previous offense was built around Maxey and Embiid, with Maxey leading the team in scoring and usage during the 2025-26 season.
Johnson also identified two areas that could determine whether Philadelphia reaches championship contention: defense and chemistry.
“I have two big questions for Philly: one is on the defensive end, and two is their team chemistry,” Johnson wrote. “If they answer those two… watch out!”
The Sixers added defensive depth by signing Dean Wade to a four-year, $39 million contract while also bringing in Anfernee Simons, Ariel Hukporti, Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert. However, the team lost several rotation players, including George, Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond.
Despite Philadelphia’s star power, Johnson still views New York as the team to beat in the East after the Knicks won the 2026 NBA championship by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the Finals.
“As we sit today, the Knicks are still my favorite to come out of the East until proven otherwise,” Johnson wrote. “All NBA fans can only dream of a 76ers vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Finals. That will be must see TV!”
